Slim Down Saturdays - February 7th

I was discouraged with a gain last week, so I didn’t end up linking up.  I am back this week to link up with Gina for Slim Down Saturday to share my progress.

Updates:

Over the past two weeks, I have lost one pound.  I definitely hit a plateau last week.  I decided to up my cardio and it seems to have worked.  I still haven’t figured out how to get a restful night’s sleep, but there have been a few nights where I slept for a solid chunk of time. 

Something to Do Better:

I love taking body pump and completing other toning workouts at home, but I hate being sore afterwards.  This leads me to go easy on the weight sometimes.  This week I want to challenge myself and up the weight during these toning workouts. 

This Week’s Goal:

The Tone It Up girls are encouraging all participants to complete their 7-Day Slim Down (7DSD) this week. The meal plan isn’t too different from what I’ve been doing except there’s no bread or starches in the morning.  I also have to limit the salt that I use while cooking.  I hope that it will all be worth it come Valentine’s Day.   In conjunction with meal plan, there are two-a-day workouts to complete.  Cardio after teaching all day is a struggle, but I plan to stick with it.

Quote:

I went with another quote that makes me laugh yet it is so true.  If I suck it up and make time to exercise now, I won’t be trying to squeeze into clothes that are too tight. 

Good luck this week and try your best to avoid all the Valentine's Day candies and treats. 

Slim Down Saturday - January 24th

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. I am linking up with Gina for Slim Down Saturday to share my weight loss progress.

Updates:

I’m still not completely recovered from my cold, but I am feeling better than last week.  The congestion prevented me from doing a lot of cardio this week, but I focused on eating clean and keeping up with the strength parts of the Tone It Up workout plan.   I am happy to say that I have been completely gluten-free and dairy-free since January 1st.  I have noticed a huge difference in how I feel, and the scale is definitely showing the difference too. I’m amazed that I have hit the 10 pound mark already, but I have worked hard every day.  I am here to answer any questions or give any tips to help others achieve the results they want.

Something to Do Better:

I have been wearing a Misfit Flash (cheaper version of a Fit Bit) since Christmas and have noticed that my sleep is pretty horrible.  I am restless for a quarter to a half of the time I am asleep.  I’m not sure why I am so restless because I don’t remember waking up or tossing and turning most of the time.  I am going to try a nighttime routine to try and wind down and hopefully sleep more soundly.

Last Week’s Goal:

My husband ended up having to go out of town for business, so my meal plan didn’t really happen.  I can eat the same thing several nights in my row, unlike my husband. I did try two new recipes though:

  - I made shrimp and “grits” from cauliflower.  It was delicious!

  - I also made curry tofu with zucchini noodles….yum!

I can’t believe how much cauliflower and zucchini I have been eating recently.  I would never buy them before, but I am loving how versatile they can be. 

This Week’s Goal:

I have been doing much better with the strength and yoga parts of the Tone It Up workout plan, but have skipped or modified a lot of the cardio parts.  This week, I want to up my cardio, so I will run and go to spin class two times each.  I love the endorphins that I get from a good sweat session, so this should be awesome!

Quote:

As I continue to make healthy changes in my lifestyle, I need to focus my energy on building new healthy habits instead of fighting the old unhealthy habits.

Slim Down Saturdays - January 17th

It’s Saturday, so I am linking up with Gina for Slim Down Saturdays.

Updates:

I didn’t have a huge weight loss this week, but I’ll take it. This week was challenging for me.  A sickness has hit my classroom and it got to me mid-week.  By Friday, I only had 13 out of 26 students. I am so glad that we have a 3-day weekend to rest and recover.  Even though I wasn’t feeling 100%, I kept up with my workouts at home and didn’t derail my healthy eating. Usually when I get a cold, I fall head first into a plate of carbs in hopes that it will help me feel better.  I made a big batch of homemade chicken and vegetable soup to eat for lunches and dinners. 

Something to Do Better:

I have been completing the daily exercises from Tone It Up, but I didn’t always complete all of the sets.  Not only do I want to lose weight, but I want to tone my body. When something gets hard, I tend to give up. That’s what happened this week with the weight training exercises.  I put the weights down or didn’t complete the total number of sets.  I want to do better with this next week. 

Last Week’s Goal:

Decrease my 5K time – Last week’s run was much harder to complete than the previous week’s.  I wanted to give up several times, but I pushed through and somehow decreased my time by almost a minute.

This Week’s Goal:

I want to try two new healthy recipes so that I don’t get into a food rut. I have had the same thing for breakfast just about every day and have rotated a handful of dinners for the past two weeks.  I don’t want to get sick of the healthy food I’ve been cooking, so I’m going to try out at least two new recipes this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.  I will put these two new recipes into our meal plan and then go grocery shopping.  I really want to limit the amount of food waste.  If I meal plan and then go shopping, I shouldn’t be buying excess food. 

Quote:

I love this quote because it reminds me that every small step in the direction of a healthy lifestyle is a success. Good luck this week everyone!

Slim Down Saturday: January 10th

It’s Saturday, so I am linking up with Gina for Slim Down Saturdays.

Updates:

I am in my second week of the 6-week Love Your Body Challenge through Tone It Up, and I am loving it.  If anyone is looking for workout ideas, you should sign up because it is free!  The workouts,  combined with healthy eating, have helped me to lose 6 pounds since January 1st so far.  I have really enjoyed experimenting with low-carb dinner options that my husband actually enjoys.  This past week, we tried zucchini “noodles,” cauliflower “rice,” parsnip “fries,” and lots of lean protein.  I don’t have any recipes, but let me know if you want any tips.

Something to Do Better:

I have been completing the daily exercises from Tone It Up, but I didn’t always complete all of the sets.  Not only do I want to lose weight, but I want to tone my body. When something gets hard, I tend to give up. That’s what happened this week with the weight training exercises.  I put the weights down or didn’t complete the total number of sets.  I want to do better with this next week. 

Goals:

Last week, I mentioned that I needed to drink more water.  The 8 check off boxes in my calendar really helped keep me on track and ensured that I drank at least 64-oz glasses of water each day. Here are some tips for drinking more water (#1 definitely helps me):

Last week, I completed a 5K in 36 minutes…not a great time, but I did it.  I was able to run the first mile without stopping, which is something I’ve never done.  I have been a “runner” and often stop running when I hit a mental block.  My goal is to run for longer increments and decrease my time this week.

Quote:

Since one of my ultimate goals is to feel comfortable in my skin…this quote really hit home.  I have spent so much of my life disliking what I saw in the mirror, but I am focused on loving my body.

Slim Down Saturdays - January 3rd

I am so thankful that Gina decided to bring this linky party back.  It really helped with my accountability last year when I was getting in shape for my wedding.  I met my goal for my wedding, but have slowly gained back 15 pounds. 

I really want to lose those 15 pounds again and possibly an additional 5 pounds.  Most importantly, I want to be comfortable in my skin.  I want to be able to throw on an outfit or bathing suit and be happy with what I see.  I started the 6-week Love Your Body Challenge through Tone It Up on New Year’s Day.  It’s free to join and they send you a week of workouts to complete.  The forum is also great for encouragement.  Let me know if you decide to join too.  I really need to drink more water.  When it’s cold, water is the last thing I want to drink.  I made 8 boxes to check off in my calendar to make sure that I am drinking at least 8 8-oz glasses of water each day. My goal is to complete all of the Love Your Body exercises for the week including the 5K tomorrow.  Eeek...this is the Sunday workout each week, but I am excited to see my time decrease each week. A quote that will keep me going this week is “Sweat is fat crying.” It is silly and makes me laugh, but I think it will motivate me to sweat more. If one of your resolutions is to eat healthier, exercise more, or lose weight, you should link up with us each Saturday. The support you will get is great! Good luck to everyone!

Currently: January 2015

I am linking up with Farley for the first Currently of 2015. I hope everyone had a great New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.  My husband and I went out with our friends (also newlyweds) to ring in the New Year.  I celebrated a little too much, so I spent most of yesterday napping on the couch. 

I am listening to football.  It has been on in the background for the past few days and will continue through the weekend. I am loving that I have been able to sleep in during winter break.  I often have trouble sleeping past seven, but I have finally gotten past that. I am thinking about the changes I want to make to our schedule when school starts back on Monday.  My kiddos had such a great time learning about Holidays Around the World before break, that I have decided to spend the next few weeks talking about New Years Celebrations Around the World. I am wanting to buy a couple new workout outfits to keep my motivation going through the new year.   My husband and I are trying to eat healthier, so I am needing to plan our dinners, go shopping, and prep as much as possible.  I know I am less likely to make unhealthy choices if the dinner is already prepped when I get home from work.  Along with eating healthier, I am making a commitment to be active everyday.  I will start back at the gym for morning workouts and bought a fitness tracker to make sure I am moving during the day.  My husband and I are talking about taking a trip to Europe over the summer.  We need to start looking at the logistics soon.  I have had my current car for almost nine years, so I have begun looking at new cars.  It may not happen this year, but I can still look.